Anne Connolly SAVI
Anne Connolly SAVI

At Smart Ageing Ventures International (SAVI), our aim is to provide you with the insights and supports that enable your business to design and bring to market products, services and technologies that meet the changing needs and lifestyles of today’s 50+ older consumer.

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The Team at SAVI

Anne Connolly MBA
Founder of SAVI

SAVI’s founder, Anne Connolly, is the “go to” expert on the global smart ageing economy with a proven track record of pioneering the ‘business of ageing’ and increasing the availability of services for older people.

Amy Greer Murphy Researcher and Social Media Specialist

Dr Amy Greer Murphy
Researcher and Social Media Specialist with SAVI

Dr Amy Greer Murphy is SAVI’s Researcher and Social Media Specialist. She acts as researcher for particular projects and SAVI’s own research; she provides social media advice on targeting older adults as well as generating insights from her Social Media training and social research expertise, particularly in relation to qualitative research and surveys.

Amy is a qualitative social scientist and Project Manager. She has a PhD in the fields of Human Geography and Applies Social Sciences from Durhan University. Her PhD thesis entitled Invisible Inequalities of Austerity: Everyday Life, Mothers and Health in Stockton-on-Tees was part a wider study of local health inequalities in an age of austerity.

Most recently, Amy has been project managing a Horizon 2020 research project in Maynooth University. Amy has also been engaging with the SIPTU Big Start campaign for several years, advocating for better conditions for Early Years Professionals. She is currently working on a book about intergenerational solidarity and caring relationships.

Expert Partners

John Hopper photo

John Hopper
Tifosi Holdings, LLC and Chief Investment Officer of the Ziegler Link•Age Funds, LP and the Blueprint N1 Fund, LP

SAVI is delighted to announce a strategic alliance with John Hopper, Chief Investment Officer of the Ziegler Link•Age Funds, LP and the Blueprint N1 Fund, LP.

The Ziegler Link•Age Funds is one of the first family of funds to focus on the ageing market.  It has a strong track record of investing in companies that provide innovative, tech enabled and tech driven products and services that meet the growing needs of older adults and service providers.

The Ziegler Link•Age Funds consist of three funds.  The first fund was raised in 2014 was for $26 million, the second was raised in 2017 and has  $37 million in assets and the current fund had its initial close in September of 2021 and is targeting $50 million.  The funds invest in companies that are already up and running with a valid product and proven customer base – companies that are looking to scale-up with late Seed and early Series A level investments.

The Blueprint N1 Fund, LP is a new fund focusing on health, wellness and longevity across all age spectrums.  Blueprint has a fairly broad investment mandate and will be making larger investments in bio-tech, healthcare and technology companies looking to improve the way we live.

SAVI will work with really promising early-stage digital health companies here in Ireland- especially those led by a dynamic team, with innovative and internationally scalable technologies targeted at the older consumer market.  Where companies meet any of the funds’ investment criteria, we will arrange introductions to John and his investment teams.  A key attraction for companies who do receive funding from one of the funds is access to the various partner networks to help accelerate growth within the ageing industry.

John joined ISAX (the precursor to SAVI) on behalf of the fund in 2016 and was a strong supporter of its goals, as he saw the potential for Ireland to be a leader in the ‘smart ageing space’.  He is also someone very proud of his strong Irish heritage.

Neville Bourke Photo for Partners

Neville Bourke
Founder of Futurus

Founder of Futurus an “unconventional Organisation Change and People Advisory practice, bringing fresh thinking to leaders. His work spans organisational design and development, purpose and culture, change, innovation and transformation, organisational effectiveness. leadership and talent.” Neville was a very active member and contributor to ISAX, with a specialist interest in opportunities for extending working life. He authored a seminal White Paper “Smart Ageing and the World of Work – Working together Longer”.

He describes himself as being fascinated with the psychology of people and organisational change and has devoted much of his life’s work to organisation behaviour, design and development. He has worked across a range of diverse sectors including Financial Services, Medical Devices and Medtech, Electronics and Social Care. He holds a primary degree in Business Studies (Human Resources), a graduate diploma in Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (both from University of Limerick), and an M.Sc. (Mgmt) in Organisational Behaviour from Trinity College Dublin. He was awarded the Charles Harvey Award for academic excellence in 2003. He holds an Ashridge Masters in Executive Coaching (AMEC) from the Hult International Business School and is also a registered member of the British Psychological Society as a Tester for Occupational, Personality and Ability Assessments.

Dr Maureen Gaffney for Partners

Dr Maureen Gaffney
Psychologist & Author "Flourishing" and "Your One Wild and Precious Life”

Dr Maureen Gaffney is a very well-known author, clinical psychologist, broadcaster, writer, and columnist and is a much sought-after public speaker. Her most recent book, “Your One Wild and Precious Life” which became an immediate Number 1 Non-Fiction Best Seller, addresses the developmental journey from infancy to end of life, with very significant insights into the different stages of later life. Her special interest and expertise is the science and art of peak performance, of ‘being at your best’, She consults and works with a wide range of businesses in Ireland, the US, the UK helping them to build strong, diverse, and resilient leadership teams, including the Intel organisation, Boston Scientific; Hewlett Packard; the professional and financial sector, and the educational sector in Australia.

She has served in a number of state and private boards, including as Executive Chair of the National Economic and Social Forum, Chair of the Insurance Ombudsman Council, as a Law Reform Commissioner, and member of the council of the ERSI. She has a long-term interest in diversity and gender issues, is a member of the Harvard Kennedy School Women’s Leadership Board, and served on its Executive Committee.

She earned her B.A. in Psychology at University College Cork, her M.A. in Behavioural Sciences at the University of Chicago and her PhD at Trinity College Dublin. She has completed Executive Education Programmes on leadership and governance in the Harvard Kennedy School, the University of Chicago Business School, and the Kellogg School of Management. She was a very active member of the Ageing Well Network and was commissioned to author Ageing and Development in Late Adulthood. She is the author of the best-selling Flourishing (Penguin). Her new book Your One Wild And Precious Life published in September 2021 sets the three basic psychological needs that need to be met from the beginning to the very end of life; how they play out at every stage of life, and significantly shape our psychological and physical wellbeing, our relationships, our work and our creativity.

Prof Dermot Power Expert Parnter SAVI

Prof Dermot Power
Professor of Geriatric Medicine (MMUH)

Dermot is Professor of Geriatric Medicine and Consult Geriatrician at the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital Dublin (MMUH).  He graduated from UCD in 1991 and subsequently trained at the John Radcliffe Hospital and Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford.  His special interests include dementia, health service planning and medical ethics.  He is a former board member of the HSE and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland.  He currently is the Gerontology Expert to Nursing Homes Ireland.

Dermot has had a longstanding involvement in digital health and its potential for improving the health and wellbeing of older adults and significantly enhancing the range of services that can be delivered.  He is Consultant Geriatrician and Clinical Advisor to Mobile Medical Diagnostics, the only fully licensed mobile radiology services in Ireland.  He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Kenesis, a leading provider of scientifically validated, machine learning technologies for the evaluation of falls risk and rehabilitation.

Keith Finglas for Partners

Keith O’Neill
Specialist in Co-Design and Innovation Management

Founder and CEO of Innovation Delivery – – a leading Design Thinking firm which he founded with ex-IDEO design expert Christine Kurjan, and a founder at Waypoint, a collaboration software company. Keith collaborated with ISAX in pioneering new approaches to engaging older adults in framing the barriers or ‘problems’ in their lives and working with them and relevant experts to co-design solutions. Keith has over 35 years experience working in Europe, South America, US, Far East and Ireland for companies such as GE, Guinness and Intel where he was Innovation Project Manager in their European Innovation Centre.

Jacqui Marsh for Partners

Jacquie Marsh
Advisor and Mentor to High Potential Start-Ups

Born in the heart of the countryside in County Meath, to a family of entrepreneurs where the kitchen table doubled as a board room, all her business life Jacquie has done what she loves most; leading organisations on a journey of sustainable growth, expansion and business excellence with a number of successful startups under her belt especially in the food, retail and bereavement sectors.

Having joined McDonalds Ireland as a management graduate during their growth phase in the early 80’s she then focused on Companies in a growth/diversification phase such as Next and PJ Carrolls plc. Jacquie then spent 10 years consulting high potential start-up businesses working alongside organisations such as Enterprise Ireland, Local County Enterprise Boards, Bord Bia, Retail Excellence Ireland and the Irish Quality Association. As an assessor for the European Quality Awards she was exposed to best in class organisations performing at the highest level and to this day fosters that pursuit of excellence with all her teams.

The Butler’s Pantry, award winning fresh food retailer and producer is just one of Jacquie’s recent success stories. In March 2018 upon the successful execution of her exit strategy, Jacquie qualified as a professional Celebrant became the Co-Founder of Serendipity Celebrants and is pursuing her interest in the bereavement sector.

As a member of the Irish Institute of Directors, Jacquie is a non-executive Director on the board of Common Purpose Ireland, Cois Ceim International Dance Theatre, and an active advisory board member to high potential start ups and mentor with Enterprise Ireland.

Jacquie lives with her family in Sandycove, a daily sea swimmer in the 40 foot, a lover of the arts and as a gentle nod to her early years in Co. Meath breeds Labrador dogs.

Pat Mulvee

Pat Mulvee
Finance & Organisational Change

Pat successfully held senior Finance Director positions in companies such as Kingspan (manufacture of building materials), Becton Dickinson (Medical devices manufacturing), BAM Contractors (Civil Engineering) and the global franchising arm of Britvic (FMCG – soft drinks manufacturing). For a number of years he was also a non-executive Director at a national charity focussed on the needs of older people.

At Kingspan Pat and Anne first worked closely in the design and deployment of major strategic initiatives and radical work practice changes in business operations leading to significant commercial growth

More recently Pat has focused, as a successful Change agent, in transforming underperforming overseas manufacturing businesses and is currently working with Anne developing and finalising for investment funding a Business Plan for “You Age Well”

Kate Gunning SAVI Expert

Kate Gunning
Founder of Focus Academy

Kate Gunning is focused on strategic market development and commercialisation for science-based technologies. Kate’s expertise is evaluating and developing market opportunities for emerging innovative companies and their inventive technologies.

In 2018 she co-founded Focus Academy which runs a specialist practice, The Center for Ageing Research and Accessibility, (CARA) which collaborates with innovators and their end-users to accelerate the advancement of technologies for ageing and independent living. It also provides a vibrant space together with in-depth business, market and product development programming to both US and international emerging companies and strategic corporates. Focus Academy runs tailored programs for international health/medtech/biotech companies to rapidly access the US market and connect to relevant stakeholders for market growth.

A Dublin native and TUD (DIT) alum, Kate’s career began in Nuclear Medicine and Clinical Pathology. She also serves as a volunteer with The Last Mile, advising and mentoring recently returned citizens, and advises college graduates with their career development strategy.
The collaboration with Focus Academy will enable SAVI to provide early stage ‘smart ageing’ companies supports for entering the US market – including much valued space in their really vibrant hub.